The present invention relates to an infant changing station. More particularly, it relates to a wall-mounted infant changing apparatus having a bed pivotably attached to a frame such that in an open position, a uniform surface is presented for easy cleaning.
Parents of babies and infants not yet toilet trained often face a dilemma when visiting a public establishment, such as a restaurant, retail store, health club, etc. Namely, the child will soil his or her diaper, and require changing. Unfortunately, many rest rooms are not designed to facilitate easy changing of the infant's diaper. Changing of a diaper normally requires a flat surface on which to lay the baby or infant, removing the diaper, cleaning the child and placing a new diaper on the child. In a standard public rest room which does not include a stand alone changing table, the parent is forced to hold the baby upright with one hand while changing with the remaining hand. When designing a new rest rooms this problem can be addressed by including a permanent changing table in the rest rooms. However, for an existing rest room, constructing a stand-alone changing table likely is cost prohibitive. Further, space restrictions may render a permanent changing station impossible.
The above problem has been addressed with the advent of wall-mounted infant changing stations. As suggested by its titles the wall-mounted changing station is attached to a wall in the facility's rest room. To this end, a standard wall-mounted infant changing station includes a frame to which a bed is pivotably attached. More particularly, the standard wall-mounted changing station further includes a hinge means attaching the bed to the frame in conjunction with a support system. When not in use, the bed folds tightly against the frames thereby limiting space requirements. To use the station, the user simply pivots the bed away from the frame, providing a flat table for changing diapers. The support system supports and maintains the bed relative to the frame in the open position.
Wall-mounted infant changing stations have gained rapid acceptance over the past several years. As the demand for the stations has increased, various improvements to the standard design have been made. For example, a safety strap can be added to the bed to assist in holding the baby during the changing process Additionally, a pneumatic cylinders be incorporated to control the pivoting action of the bed away from the support frame. Finally, other accessories, such as diaper dispensers, towel dispensers, etc., have also been utilized.
While the above "improvements" have undoubtedly increased the wall-mounted changing station's marketability, other problems still remain. Cleanliness of the infant changing station is of obvious importance. Parents are unwilling to place their baby or infant on the changing table or bed if the bed is in any way unsanitary. As the changing station is specifically intended for changing soiled diapers, the opportunity for unintentional contamination or dirtying of the changing station is quite prevalent. Because the waste material placed on the infant changing station has a distinct odor and unhygienic appearance, it is extremely important that the infant changing station be thoroughly cleansed after each use. While a restroom operator can periodically clean the infant changing station, users of the station must also attempt to wipe the station after use in order to maintain a sanitary environment.
Paper towels or other cleaning supplies can be positioned near the wall-mounted infant changing station to encourage wiping the bed and frame after a use. However, the design of the standard wall-mounted infant changing station inherently prevents thorough cleaning. Namely, the means for pivotably attaching and supporting the bed to the frame is such that when in the open position, numerous slots and other recesses are exposed. As previously described, the standard wall-mounted infant changing station includes a bed hinged to a support frame. Further, the bed must be supported against the support frame in the open position. To accomplish this required relationship, the standard design includes a number of large openings at the point of attachment between the bed and the support frame. Because these openings are exposed in the open position, waste material is easily deposited in these openings. Even furthers designs incorporating a pneumatic cylinder normally expose at least a portion of the cylinder to wast material when the station is in an open position. It is extremely difficult to clean the waste material from these recesses. The user/parent who makes an effort to quickly clean the infant changing station after use is highly unlikely to take the necessary efforts to completely scrub the many recesses. Over time, as waste material continues to build within the recesses, a highly unsanitary environment is created. Therefore, the standard wall-mounted infant changing station design greatly impedes adequate cleaning of the station.
While numerous accessories and other "improvements" to the standard wall-mounted infant changing station have been devised, the above-described cleansing problem has not been addressed. Therefore, a need exists for a wall-mounted infant changing station design to present a uniform surface for simple and effective cleaning.